28 May 2025 01:15:57
Music to my ears hearing amorim saying that we do not need a big squad for next season due to no European football.
3xgk
6xcb
4xwb
4xcm
4xam
2xcf.
28 May 2025 01:30:41
Yep. Hopefully quality over quantity.
But the problem is we need quality in and we only have mainly rubbish or old buggers to sell. I fear that we will still have a few hanging around that we cannot shift that will make the squad bigger than ideal.
But yep good signs! Smaller squad to work with and then add players as and when required.
28 May 2025 01:31:36
Problem is we hardly have anyone to fill those spots currently about 5/ 6 at most out of 23! Of course unless we are keeping most of the poor performers from this season! .
Must be min 5 in but reality says needs to be much more!
GK, Proper CB, 2 strikers Midfielder are bare min requirements this window.
28 May 2025 06:17:02
We have no links to him but I think Schade from Brentford had a great season. Only 23 around 25 million value and will definitely improve.
28 May 2025 08:20:26
I hope you are right tumble.
That's still a lit of work to do. I'm not saying they're all good enough but I think this will be the bones of the squad next year.
gk heaton
6xcb Yoro, heaven, de ligt, maz, martinez
4xwb Dorgu, dalot, amass, amad
4xcm ugarte, collyer
4xam zirkzee, cunha
2xcf
Possibly keeping mount, cas, maguire (I'd want all out but that's just too much churn this window)
Out
Onana, bayindir, lindelof, Evans, Shaw, malacia, Fernandes, mainoo, garnacho, hojland, erkison, sancho, Anthony, rashford,
What could that fund? A few would br sold at a loss. fernandes, mainoo. Garna, rash could get us 200mil.
It's looking like a difficult task to get a semi decent squad!
28 May 2025 09:18:00
100% agree with having a smaller squad next year with no European football. This is a great opportunity to sell players on, release players out of contract and maybe even pay some players contracts up similar to what Arsenal did a few years back whilst bringing in quality over quantity.
This will also have a benefit of us filling gaps in the squads and for the cups with some of the youth players.
28 May 2025 09:18:31
I'm quite looking forward to seeing what we end up with. I think Cunha can be classed as a marquee signing although the price is reasonable but I think he'll be our most expensive signing depending what happens with Mbuemo as I think Brentford will want more than that. But otherwise I'm quite excited to see some 'lesser' players with the right mentality.
The biggest change required will be the expectation us fans have. It's definitely a case of a few steps back in order to move forward.
28 May 2025 09:30:25
Mine too Ken, as a teacher I know how class size impacts the ability to impart knowledge and ideas. It won't be easy to teach a squad how you want them to play when you have a large squad. You won't have the 1 to 1 time to really help players understand and improve the areas they need to develop to play how you want to the level needed. Likewise it's hard to foster a togetherness when you have a large squad. You will have players who don't get much game time and they will either become disengaged or resentful. You are more likely to get various cliques or subgroups within the group when you have a larger squad.
Pep actually said something similar the other day, that he doesn't want a large squad at City and if they insist on him having a large squad then he'll leave. Now I expect much of that is just bluster, but there will be elements of truth in there. Jose has said previously that he doesn't want a huge squad, he said his ideal squad size is 23, 20 outfield players (two for each position) and 3 keepers.
When multiple elite and successful managers are all saying the same thing about squad size then there has to be something to it.
I think that has been a big part of the issue with us over the past decade. We've seen for unknown but suspected reasons (squad value on the accounts) our squad balloon in size, with us having as many as 34 players in our first team squad on occasions (while you can only register a 25 man squad you don't have to register players on loan, those under the age of 21 and you can have players unregistered) .
No doubt having such large squads has made it difficult for the managers to get across their ideas and for them to maintain a good team atmosphere. When there are as many as 18 players in your squad who are guaranteed not to play at the weekend that is going to make it almost impossible to keep those players happy. While if you try through regular rotation then it becomes hard for the team to be consistent with so much chopping and changing. Is it any wonder that under so many managers the dressing room has over time become toxic and we've had regular leaks about players being unhappy with the coaching.
Looking back at this season something odd happened, in January we sent 5 players out on loan including Anotny and Rashford. Now you could argue that sending two attacking players out on loan was a mistake in hindsight due to our struggles in front of goal during the second half of the season. Yet it was clear as the second half of the season wore on that the team was performing better and you could see the style that the manager wanted to play more and more, even if the results didn't follow due to a combination of an inability to score and individual mistakes leading to us conceding silly goals.
With a smaller squad the manager was clearly better able to get his ideas across and the team was more able to put that into practice on the pitch.
Next season without European football we will have significantly less games, less traveling, and more time for the manager to work with the players and to develop them. We haven't needed the size of squad we have had over the past few years with the extra games in Europe, we certainly don't need it next season without those games.
We've said for many years how we need to rebuild the squad, but in reality to do that you first need a massive clear out. Last summer saw 10 players leave from the first team and I'd expect at least that many to leave this summer as well. Moving those players on will have huge benefits both on and off the pitch (more 1 to 1 training time to improve our players and lower wages to help the club get back on a good financial footing) .
We know that Eriksen, Lindelof and Evans will all be leaving. So that's three out the door immediately. While there are rumours or Bayindir, Onana, Malacia, Casemiro, Bruno, Collyer, Gore, Rashford, Sancho, Garnacho, Antony, Hojlund, and Wheatley all likely or possible to leave from the first team squad this summer as well.
That's as many as 16 players leaving this summer either permanently or on loan if we can't get a permanent deal. That's wages off the books and players out the door. Obvious we will bring players in, some will obviously have to be replaced. I think we will see at least 12 of those 16 leave, with 5 maybe 6 first team players signed and probably a couple of youth players to go into the academy for now.
At a guess I think our squad will look a little something like this next season:
GK: Onana (unable to be sold), New keeper, Heaton.
CB: Maguire, MdL, Yoro, Heaven, Martinez, Mazraoui.
WB: Amad, Dalot, Dorgu, Shaw.
CM: Ugarte, Mainoo, Casemiro (unable to be sold), New CM.
AM: Cunha, Mount, Bruno (could be sold), New AM (Mbeumo? ) .
ST: Zirkzee, Delap (or another new ST) .
Many players leaving, however, I think we will struggle to move on Onana and Casemiro this summer and both will likely stay. If Onana leaves as well as Bayindir we might see a second cheap keeper come in or we might have someone like Vitek be our third choice keeper. If Casemiro leaves then we might see a second midfielder join. Bruno I'm 50/ 50 on at the moment, I think the club would like to cash in on him and use the funds to rebuild, but that only happens if Bruno is willing to leave. If both Bruno and Casemiro leaves then we 100% get a second midfielder, or maybe keep Collyer (unlikely I think as he hasn't been given many chances by RA) .
With us signing a keeper, midfielder, Cunha, attacking midfielder and striker this summer for the first team.
Then any additional needs in the squad will be filled with academy players such as Amass, Fredricson, Kukonki, Kamason, Mantato, Kone, Scanlon, Lacey and Obi.
I know people will be unhappy with Zirkzee and Delap as our striker options, and if it was down to me I'd make a push to sign Jonathan David, but I don't think the club will. The reality is there are few top options available this summer, and even fewer that we could sign. It's better to make do with what you have then sign the wrong player. While we can use Cunha as a striker or Mbeumo (if we sign him) in emergencies.
Also I imagine at least one poster will complain about the CB options, but the reality is that unless one of them leaves there just isn't space or budget to bring one in this summer. Ultimately we cannot fix everything in one summer window, we probably can't even fix everything in two summer windows. I don't see us having a top class squad capable of challenging at the top of the table and competing in Europe until at least the 2027/ 28 season as I think it will take a minimum of three summer transfer windows to develop a squad capable of challenging the top sides in the league.
I look at it like this, fix the attack this summer as that's the biggest glaring weakness. Fix the defence next summer when we can move on players like Maguire, Shaw and possibly MdL or Martinez. Then the following summer we add the missing components like a new midfielder maybe, or a top class striker, or a new wingback. Basically whatever the squad needs at that point depending on how players have developed and who has worked out or not.
28 May 2025 09:50:26
German are you aware of the constraints the club us working under due to psr? Do you understand this constraints?
We are limited in what we can do this summer without falling foul of the regulation.
28 May 2025 10:42:10
My best class had 35 and my worst 15! Empathy and listening are key.
28 May 2025 11:47:17
Being back corporal punishment Patrick. Nothing wrong with a wrap around the head from the old 300 page 5 pound commerce book??.
28 May 2025 13:01:22
Ha ha! Never had to resort to that Ken! Well, not often! ?.